Process of preserving food products.



E. D. SCHM-ITT.

PROCESS OF PRESERVING FOOD PRODUCTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-27.1913.

1,191,839. Patented Ju1y18,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

E. D. SCHMITT.

PROCESS OF PRESERVING FOOD PRODUCTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG=27. I913.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Z SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nnwARn D. scnm'rr, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,- ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN MENTS, 'ro THE AMERICAN PURE roon rnoonss COMPANY, or BALTIMORE, MARY- LAND, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PROCESS OF 'PRESERVING FOOD PRODUCTS.

Specification of Letters Patent;

- Patented July 1 1916.

Application filed August 27, 1913. Serial N 0. 786,940.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. SOHMITT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Preserving Food Products, of which the following is a speci fication.

The invention relates generally to preserving food-products, but more part1cu-- larly to a method of sterilizingcertain prepared or partially prepared food-products, such as jellies, preserves, meats, etc., prior to capping or sealing; and ithas for its principal object to provide against the formation of mold upon such products in sealed ars.

Other objects will become apparent upon a complete disclosure of the invention.

In carryingout my invention, I employ certainmechanism which is attached to the sealing device of a capping machine, such as is described and shown in an a plication' filed by mevApril 18, 1913,

erial No.

762,148. In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a capping machine to which the mechanism for sterilizing the food-products prior to sealing or capping, is attached.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partly in section,

looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, the conveyer being omitted,and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the heating cylinder and pump, partly in section.

Referring to the several views, the numeral. 1 indicates ]the main frame of the machine which is provided at one end with a number of sprocket-wheels 2, over which runs a conveyer 3. Attached to the outer end of the shaft 4, on which the sprocketwhee'ls are mounted, is a toothed wheel 5 which is en aged by a pawl 6 carried by a rocker-arm loose upon the shaft 4, whereby the conveyer is moved with a step-bystep movement, the movement of the arm 7 being dependent upon an adjustable rod 8 connected with a crank 9 on the outer end ofa transverse shaft 10 journaled in the fraine. The conveyer is provided, at intervals, with a series of transverse bars 11,

which engage the jars and move them along with a step-by-step movement, and the movement is so timed that the conveyer will be stopped at intervals, so as to permit the jars to remain stationary a suflicient length permlt the sealing operation to be The numeral'12 indicates four hollow columns, two, arranged on each side of the frame, preferably in staggered form as shown in Fig. 2, so that the sealing-heads 13, supported between the columns, will be. m'a direct vertical line above the jar-supports 11, and they and the mechanism carried by them are duplicated. Y

Suitably mounted inthe frame, and parallel with the shaft 10, is a shaftl4, which has keyed thereto a. gear-Wheel 15 meshin rocatory motion will be imparted to thesealing-heads Supported by laterally-extending arms 23, below the sealing-heads, are jar-supports 24 arranged one slightly in advance of the other, so as to be directly beneath the sealingheads and directly in line with the conveyor.

The sealing-heads may be of any suitable construction, preferably that shown in the aforementioned application and pinned to the rods 22 is a lower crosshead 25 which centrally supports the outer crimping-member of the sealing-head13, and above this cross-head 25 is an upper cross-head 27 having sleeve-ends 28, through which reciprocate the reduced ends of the pitman-rods 22. The upper cross-head 27 carries the plunger of 'the'sealing-head, which extends into the outer crimping-member and carries the indenting or crimping fingers for crimping the cap onto the jar.

Superimposed upon the sleeves 28 are cups 31 containing coil-springs 32 surrounding the upper reduced portions of the'pitmanrods. The cups are provided with screwcaps 33 having central plugs 34 therein, into which the upper ends of the pitman-rods are screwed. The tension of the springs may be varied by adjusting the caps 33, and the distance to which the cross-head may descend is regulated by the threaded bushings 35, as they serve to limit the downward movement of said crosshead,

In carrying out my invention, I prefer to employ the following described mechanism:

Suitably supported directly above the conveyer,- at each side thereof, is a cylinder 36 having a tapering exit end closed by a flapvalve 37. Situated within the cylinder is a circular coil of steam or hot-air pipes 38 having a supply inlet 39 and an outlet 40.

The upper end of the cylinder is provided with a cap 41, and supportedupon thecap is a pump 42 in communication with the in-- terior of the cylinder 36, the pump being provided with a hollow piston 43, the outer end of which is connected by a rod 44 to a rod 45 attached to the upper cross-head, so that at each downward movement of said crosshead, the piston will be moved a corresponding distance to project or blow a small quantity or ipufi of hot air from the cylinder onto the top of the product contained in the passing jar. The head of the piston is perforated as is also the cap 42, so as to allow for the escape of air above the piston, which tends to reduce the suction on the npstroke of said piston, it being understood that the downward movement of the piston upon the heated air within the cylinder will cause the air, in its forced passage, to open the lower.

place during the operation of the sealingdevices in seating and crimping the cap on the previously moving jar, and as soon as this operation is accomplished the crosshead is moved upward, causing the rods and 44 to move the pump-piston upward, closing the several valves to prevent the heated air from escaping. At the instant the puff of heated air has been projected, a cap, which has been previously heated is placed upon the jar to be firmly secured thereto by the crimping device.

This invention forms an important step in the preservation of cooked or partiallyc'ooked food-products keeping them pure and free from mold, and preventing the caps from becoming loosened and falling off, as in the case of vacuum process. By displacing the cold or cool air with heated air a thorough sterilization is effected, and no mold spores formed in the content, especially if jellies are produced, as in the case when a vacuum is created, so that the goods can be shipped to high altitudes or transported over the same without the danger of the caps becoming loosened, by reason of a disappearing vacuum, falling off and allowing the contents of the jars to leak or run out, as is frequently the case in transportation. 4

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim is The method of preserving cooked or partially cooked food products in jars from mold, which consists in projecting heated air upon the food contents, instantly applying a cap to the jar, and then sealing the ar. 3 Y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD D. SCHMITT. Witnesses:

JAMES L. CRAWFORD, FRANK G. BREnn'roN. 

